Get hearty comfort food the easy way with this rich Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup. Loaded with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, garlic and spinach, this warming Italian Soup makes for a delicious dinner or lunch!
Busy bees will love me for this Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup recipe! Call me lazy but having to brown the meat, or cook anything else before actually starting the slow-cooker is a big no-no. To me, the whole point of using a crockpot is to throw everything in the pot, turn it on and walk away.
I like to think of this kitchen tool as busy people's savior. They can just put all the ingredients into the pot in the morning and come back home after a long day of work with their dinner already waiting for them. And who has time to brown meat and precook veggies in the morning anyway? I don't!
This Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup recipe is adapted from a very similar stovetop soup I posted a few months ago. I was pretty sure it would work well with the slow-cooker but I didn't want to have to brown the meatballs or cook the garlic and onions before. Because then, what would be the point of using the slow-cooker? 😉
I'm not gonna lie though. You do have a little prep work to do to get the meatballs ready. No cooking involved, just mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
You can prep all the ingredients and the meatballs the night before, keep them in the fridge and start the slow-cooker in the morning. Easy! And you won't believe how tasty this Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup is, even without browning the meat.
Trust me, there is nothing better than coming home to a steaming hot plate of Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup. It has become an absolute favorite of mine and I just know you'll love it, too.
Make sure you don't omit the parmesan rind though, I believe it makes a huge taste difference! Enjoy!
If you tried this Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Crockpot Italian Meatball Tomato Soup
Get hearty comfort food the easy way with this rich and fruity Crockpot Italian Meatball Soup. Loaded with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, garlic and spinach, this warming Italian Soup makes for a delicious dinner or lunch!
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb lean ground beef 450 g
- 2 eggs
- 2 small cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- ⅓ cup packed fresh basil leaves chopped
- salt to taste
For the soup
- olive oil spray
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves packed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 14 oz / 400 g
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 parmesan rind
Instructions
For the meatballs:
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In a large bowl, combine ground meat, eggs, garlic, parmesan, basil and salt. Using your hands, thoroughly mix all the ingredients until combined and well distributed.
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Form about 15 meatballs the size of a big golf ball. To avoid the mixture to be too sticky, keep your hands wet when shaping the meatballs.
For the soup:
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Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and arrange meatball at the bottom. Add chopped onion and spinach.
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In a large bowl, whisk together chicken stock, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Pour in slow-cooker. Season with a little bit of salt. Add parmesan rind, put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours.
40A.
I love the addition of parmesan rind! It's a trick I learned from an Italian friend of mine and you're so right: it makes a HUGE difference!